Being from Salford, we played lots of gigs around the area including some notoriously dodgy dives, one of which proudly had a baseball bat displayed behind the bar during the height of the "lad" era in the mid 90's, oddly enough never got any grief other than a bit of smart arsed heckling. Probably just lucky.
I've had all kinds of crap at gigs. It's sometimes put me off ever wanting to play live again. I still gig but not only occasionally these days.
I've had a couple of puch-ups with one or more members of the audience. The worst was Walshawe near Bury when the whole place kicked off and glasses were flying. One bounced off my head and smashed all over me when it hit the wall next to me. We ended up punching a few people who wanted to bring the fight onto the stage. Another time in Bolton was scrapping with this pisshead and sent him into our lights smashing the lot. The pub had a whip round and we actually made money on it. Once there was a big fight in a pub in Stockport and the landlord had to lock everyone in when a gang came back to get revenge. It was like Assault on Precinct 13 till the police arrived. I once got chucked out of a nightclub in Stretford for fighting with this nutter who belted a girl who was with the band. They let me back in to get my gear in the end. He was a mate of the bouncers it turned out. He waited for me outside but luckily there was no more trouble.
Paulo
We did a posh marquee wedding last summer where some of the guests kept going to the portaloos together talking about "fairy sprinkles". They had an Elvis impersonator on before us, who was staying at a Travelinn up the road. It's the only time we've ever had someone open for us... he clearly hadn't done many gigs and needed a peptalk from our singer before he went on, only to be confronted by load of over confident/talkative wedding guests... poor bloke. Our set went well, with a couple of the above guests virtually shagging on the dance floor during SOF.Originally Posted by samgoldshark
I`m just wondering have I been unlucky, or you boys been lucky and things have imroved over the years
When I started in my old mans band (country and western not exactly fighing type fans) My old man gave me great advice, keep playing, if a fight breaks out and you are playing no problem , if you stop you are fair game for the punchup.
When i was just 16 we played a wedding where the brides father was trying to kill(literally) the groom by strangling him across front of stage. He had to be smashed over the back with a chair and laid out to stop him.
At another gig a load of miners kicked off in a valleys social club, and we were told to stop playing and come help look for someones Ear !It was like the wild west saloon fights at times.
Then back in late 80`s I was playing a place in Weymouth for first time, when I was told by entertainment sec, (and i quote)" WHEN the fight starts lads, don`t worry about your gear its all insured and we allways pay for all damages". We played the about 5 times in all, ad there was allways at least one fight a night.
Scariest was the late "gig just came available lads" in south Wales. we played to about 300 drunken bikers who do not like to be told by our singer, that he can size up what an audience wants with one look and said how about a Jason Donovan song ?
Bottles of Newcastle brown (full) and pint glasses were thrown at us untill we quickly launched into a Eddie and the hot rods song. Unlike the blues brothers we had no chicken wire in front and those bottles hurt. Warning beware of places with fresh white wash on walls at every gig, it covers the blood and piss apperently.
been lucky for the most part.....
Thirty odd years ago as a niave 18yo spotty guitarist I was in a band with 'animal' on drums, he was a local lad with a reputation of taking no shyte. Anyway we did a gig in a bar that didn't pay us and said the owner said not to. Couple of days later I was asked to be the driver and take said drummer to another town to 'negotiate' with the owner at his health club/gym. So in walks a nervous guitarist and the drummer to a room full of muscle bound tatted geezers in Essex. Drummer says wait here, goes into the office and returns 10 minuets later with a fist full of cash! We left very quickly after. That was an experience I remember vividly.
Used to run the sound/lights at a biker fest for about 14 years, they knew how to party but I never had any trouble at all, the 'committee' were very respectful and any sign of trouble was sorted in house before it really developed.
Mainly in the last 20 years or so I've turned down anything shit looking and gone for weddings and corporate work (which is still not imune to a little blood letting)!
I'm with ESBlonde on this one. Take the easy wedding, corporate and holiday park gigs and have left most of the rough and tumble venues behind.
With the luxury of dressing rooms, politeness and guaranteed payment though, there are far less interesting memories. Some of the best gigs ever, are where the audience are ready to tear the place apart.
Most of my gigging days were in Cambridge in the late 80s/early 90s. Not normally any trouble from punters as the guys who did the PA - Criterion Hire iirc - were pretty hard cases not to be messed with and who took exception to people messing with their gear or their clients!
One memorable gig in 1989 we were supporting the Manics at a college ball ... probably best I don't say any more, but there was an entertaining ruckus.
Sorry to hear this and other people's poor experiences and I've faced a couple of predicaments over the years and on one occasion had to wield a PRS to hold back a bunch of skinheads who had walked into the "wrong gig"!! Luckily, the police turned up sharpish to save the day as the only brown sound that night came from me, not my amp!
I don't really miss those days and I've been doing comfortable and safe functions for the past 14 years and the worse it gets is some tipsy gent wanting to have a go of your guitar or worse still, someone asking for "Lady in red"!
Keep safe
Last edited by Kebabkid; 2nd September 2012 at 09:51 PM.
The last band I was in (10 or so years ago, in Canada) contacted a booking agent when we were starting to look for gigs. He said he was quitting the business but gave us some tips: He told us the names of the clubs and what cities/towns they were in that he would not send a band to, no matter how good they were. He said these places were trouble and every band got the same treatment, bottles thrown at them, hassled after the gig while loading out etc...., the clientele were mainly male, and quite often heavy drinkers(see "redneck"). We played about 15 gigs over about a 10 month period that were uneventful but by then I had done enough band gigging and gave it up. On the plus side, during the 80's I was in a band that played about 70 gigs a year at bars and had a blast the whole time, was that the end of the golden years?
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